Chapter 13
HRM and organizations
For use with Organizational Behaviour and Management
by John Martin and Martin Fellenz
1408018128© 2010 Cengage Learning
Models of people management
practice
• Four models of HR practice:
– Fombrum et al begins with the view that people
represent one of a number of resources
– Beer et al suggest that a stakeholder view of people
within an organization provides a more effective way
to manage
– Schuler and Jackson suggest a link between
competitive strategy (cost or innovation) and people
management approaches
– Hendry et al suggest five interlinked contexts (outer,
inner, business strategy, HR context and HR content)
For use with Organizational Behaviour and Management
by John Martin and Martin Fellenz
1408018128© 2010 Cengage Learning
HRM and business strategy
Best fit or contingency approach - three different strategic models:
• Life-cycle models
• Competitive advantage models
• Strategic configurations
Resource-based approach – five issues result:
• The need to identify the key human resources
• The need to determine if the focus should be on people, practices or
processes
• The ways that interpersonal and team relationships function has an impact
on performance
• The is a need to consider the external forces that can impact on HRM
strategy
• The context or industry issues that impact on HRM must be considered
For use with Organizational Behaviour and Management
by John Martin and Martin Fellenz
1408018128© 2010 Cengage Learning
The role of HRM in organizations
Legge (1978) suggested the following categories:
– Conformist innovator - encourages the adaption of HR practice,
but within the current rules, status quo and management style
– Deviant innovator - encourages the adaption of HR practices, but
in ways that go beyond the current rules, status quo and
management style
– Problem solver – does not attempt to develop HR practice
beyond dealing with problems as they arise
For use with Organizational Behaviour and Management
by John Martin and Martin Fellenz
1408018128© 2010 Cengage Learning
The role of HRM in organizations
Marchington and Wilkinson (2005) suggest four roles for
HR (based on levels of HR profile and HR involvement):
• Change agent
• Adviser
• Regulator/internal contractor
• Service provider
For use with Organizational Behaviour and Management
by John Martin and Martin Fellenz
1408018128© 2010 Cengage Learning
The role of HRM in organizations
Ulrich (1998) also identifies four roles (based on
levels of HR management of people or process
and HR involvement):
• Business partner
• Change agent
• Administrative expert
• Employee champion
For use with Organizational Behaviour and Management
by John Martin and Martin Fellenz
1408018128© 2010 Cengage Learning
People management – issues and
activities
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Human resource planning
Resourcing
Training and development
Reward and performance management
Employee relations
Discipline and grievance handling
Equality and diversity
For use with Organizational Behaviour and Management
by John Martin and Martin Fellenz
1408018128© 2010 Cengage Learning
Disciplines falling within HRM
Table 13.1
For use with Organizational Behaviour and Management
by John Martin and Martin Fellenz
1408018128© 2010 Cengage Learning
Human resource planning
Mathis and Jackson (2008, 47) identify the major stages in HR
planning as:
• Review organizational objectives and strategies
• Scan external environment for labour supply information
• Assess internal labour availability and potential
• Develop from the above the labour forecast
• From that forecast identify the organizations need for people in the
short, medium and longer terms
• From the previous stage match current internal labour availability
to requirements
• From the previous stages identify HR strategies plans in relation
to resourcing externally, career development, training and
development, performance management etc
For use with Organizational Behaviour and Management
by John Martin and Martin Fellenz
1408018128© 2010 Cengage Learning
Resourcing
• Recruitment - identifying an appropriate number of
potentially appropriate employees from which suitable
individuals will be chosen for the next stage of the
process
• Selection - involves the applicant selecting the
organization and the organization selecting the
applicant. Bowen et al., 1996 suggest three levels of
organizational ‘fit’ are assessed during the process;
– Fit with the organization
– Fit with the department and team
– Fit with the job itself
For use with Organizational Behaviour and Management
by John Martin and Martin Fellenz
1408018128© 2010 Cengage Learning
Selection methods
Mathis and Jackson suggest:
– Application form or CV as the basis of candidate information
– Face-to-face interviews - single interviewers or multiple
interviewers with either single or a sequence of several
interviews
– Self and peer assessment
– Telephone interviews
– Psychometric testing
– Group methods and assessment centres
– Work tests and portfolios
– References
– Other methods such as handwriting analysis
For use with Organizational Behaviour and Management
by John Martin and Martin Fellenz
1408018128© 2010 Cengage Learning
Training and development
Methods include:
• On-the job methods
• Off-the job methods
• Open, distance and e-learning
For use with Organizational Behaviour and Management
by John Martin and Martin Fellenz
1408018128© 2010 Cengage Learning
Training and development
Evaluating T&D provision:
• Post event evaluation
• Impact on work behaviour
• Impact on job performance
• Impact on departmental performance
• Impact on the wider organizational
effectiveness
For use with Organizational Behaviour and Management
by John Martin and Martin Fellenz
1408018128© 2010 Cengage Learning
Employee involvement and
empowerment
Involvement and empowerment practices include:
• Information sharing and communication
• Upward problem solving
• Financial participation
• Attitude development
• Team autonomy
• Personal autonomy
• Total Quality management
For use with Organizational Behaviour and Management
by John Martin and Martin Fellenz
1408018128© 2010 Cengage Learning
Industrial action
The most common forms are:
• Strike
• Lockout
• Work to rule
• Go slow
• Overtime/flexibility restriction
• Withdrawal of good-will
For use with Organizational Behaviour and Management
by John Martin and Martin Fellenz
1408018128© 2010 Cengage Learning
Employee voice
• Require that mechanisms are in place that
encourage employees to articulate or
otherwise express their concerns, feelings,
worries, thoughts and opinions
• By encouraging employee voice it is
anticipated that involvement will become more
meaningful with high commitment and
performance resulting
For use with Organizational Behaviour and Management
by John Martin and Martin Fellenz
1408018128© 2010 Cengage Learning
Equality and diversity
• Equality - based on legislative provision for equality of
treatment
• Diversity - reflects a recognition that individuals differ
from each other in many ways and that high
organizational performance can be achieved through
harnessing that potential
• Diversity represents a business results based approach
to difference between people whereas equality
represents a moral approach to fairness
For use with Organizational Behaviour and Management
by John Martin and Martin Fellenz
1408018128© 2010 Cengage Learning
HRM and organizational change
The CIPD (2007) identify 'the seven C's of change'
with HR having a key role in each:
• Choosing a team
• Crafting the vision and the path
• Connecting organization-wide change
• Consulting stakeholders
• Communicating
• Coping with change
• Capturing learning
For use with Organizational Behaviour and Management
by John Martin and Martin Fellenz
1408018128© 2010 Cengage Learning
HRM and international business
Brewster et al (2007) suggest that for international operations, HR
practitioners need to consider:
• Do we have a strategy for becoming an international firm?
• What type of managers will we need to be successful? And how do we
find or develop them?
• How can I find out about the way that HRM is conducted in other
countries: the laws, trade unions, labour market, expectations …?
• What will be the impact of local cultural norms on our home-based ways
of working? Can we use all or any of them in other countries?
• How will we choose whether to send expatriates or use local employees?
• How do we manage international moves if we choose to send some
people out from home?
• How do we manage knowledge across geographical and cultural
distance?
For use with Organizational Behaviour and Management
by John Martin and Martin Fellenz
1408018128© 2010 Cengage Learning
HRM and OB
Many OB themes have direct relevance to HR including:
• Personality and individual difference
• Perception and attitudes
• Motivation
• Leadership and management
• Groups and teams
• Communications
• Conflict and negotiations
• Organizational structure
• Control, reward and job design
• Culture
• Power, influence and politics
• Relationships fairness and trust
For use with Organizational Behaviour and Management
by John Martin and Martin Fellenz
1408018128© 2010 Cengage Learning